Fine purveyor of ye olde poppycock…

The Walking Dead renewed for a 4th season… without Glen Mazzara!

Today, IGN announced an exclusive news item that The Walking Dead, unsurprisingly, has been picked up for a fourth season… what is most shocking about this news is that Glen Mazzara will no longer be the showrunner of this runaway hit TV show.

In the article at ign.com, the split is described as amicable, yet due to a difference of opinion with the direction the show would take in the future, Mazzara will no longer be calling the shots.

During the mid season break last season AMC dumped Frank Darabont as showrunner, and much hand wringing ensued. Fortunately, Mr. Mazzara was not only competent, in my opinion… he was spectacular in how he brought together so many elements of the comic, specifically the feel and emotional core, to the show. I had referred to what we saw in the back half of season 2 and the front half of season 3 as the “Mazzara effect”… so what his departure means for the course of the show is a complete unknown.

I am in a slight state of shock at the moment. How could AMC dump the person who seems most responsible for bringing in the highest ratings ever for both the network and basic cable in general? What in the bloody hell is going on over there?

All I can say, paraphrasing the wonderful and lovely Karen from The Walking Dead’Cast, is “Fuckity, fuck, fuck, fuck, oh man, Glen Mazzara, fuck!”

Ultimately, the fate of the show rests in the hands of others… a new showrunner has not been announced, and we can only hope that whoever they bring on will do the show justice and not disappoint those of us who have stuck with the show from the beginning, and forgave it’s many inconsistencies and less than stellar moments.

As a collective, I believe we have all supported Mr. Mazzara since seeing what he would bring to The Walking Dead after Nebraska aired, and will continue to enjoy his work throughout the remainder of season 3 once it’s begins February 10th., and I for one wish him well in future endeavors… but dammit… if something isn’t broke, don’t fix it!